National Standards in Economics

Name: Competition and Market Structure

Standard: 9

Students will understand that: Competition among sellers usually lowers costs and prices, and encourages producers to produce what consumers are willing and able to buy. Competition among buyers increases prices and allocates goods and services to those people who are willing and able to pay the most for them.

Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Explain how changes in the level of competition in different markets can affect price and output levels.

National Standards in Financial Literacy

Name: Buying Goods and Services

Standard:

Students will understand that: People cannot buy or make all the goods and services they want; as a result, people choose to buy some goods and services and not buy others. People can improve their economic wellbeing by making informed spending decisions, which entails collecting information, planning, and budgeting.

Name: Using Credit

Standard:

Students will understand that: Credit allows people to purchase goods and services that they can use today and pay for those goods and services in the future with interest. People choose among different credit options that have different costs. Lenders approve or deny applications for loans based on an evaluation of the borrower?s past credit history and expected ability to pay in the future. Higher-risk borrowers are charged higher interest rates; lower-risk borrowers are charged lower interest rates.